IN what Cllr Mary Jackman declared as "the most momentous day" in her 25 years as a councillor, Limerick County Council this Monday unanimously endorsed a draft submission to the Limerick Local Government Committee in support of a single governing authority for Limerick city and county.
Presenting the submission before the monthly meeting, county manager Ned Gleeson said that the divisive boundary extension issue should be removed forever from the agenda of the business of local government in Limerick.
The draft submission reveal
s how Limerick County Council is "firmly of the view" that a unitary local authority is the best model of local governance for Limerick in order to address challenges and to see Limerick develop as a successful Gateway.
"The old argument about lines and maps and all that is irrelevant. We are putting aside self-interest and showing the leadership that is required and putting the future of Limerick first," Mr Gleeson said.
The Limerick Local Government Committee, chaired by Denis Brosnan, and established earlier this year, is tasked with preparing a report into the most appropriate arrangements for local government for the city and county. Recommendations to the committee must be submitted by May 4.
Limerick City Council, in its amended boundary extension proposal of October 2005 states that its case for extending the boundary is "grounded squarely on the concept of effective and convenient local government".
However, the draft submission to the Limerick Local Government Committee states that it is clear from the amended proposal submitted that Limerick City Council's approach to a boundary extension was "self-centred" and failed to recognise that national, regional and local policy frameworks all recommend close co-operation between local authorities, State agencies and Government departments "and that extensive co-operation is required to enable Limerick city to realise its potential as the key economic driver in the region".
Monday's meeting heard how the boundary extension sought by Limerick city called for 3,810 hectares of Limerick County Council to be transferred to Limerick city, which would include a transfer in population of around 33,000. The financial loss to the county would be about 40 per cent of the county's total rates, which would equate to about j8m per annum in rates out of the county's total of j20m.
"Of course, the county was totally opposed to that," said Mr Gleeson of the boundary extension. "It would be seriously detrimental to the way business is done in Limerick County Council.
